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Dog control

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Posts: 105

portofakiwi

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Topic starter

May 06, 2018 10:00 pm

(@portofakiwi)

Estimable Member

Joined: 5 years ago

I love dogs, grew up on a farm with a lot etc
However walking my my village is very stressful, every second house has 2-3 that are aggressive but usually locked behind fences. But there are also quite a few loose, at least some of which seem stray.
I've now had to defend myself twice from small packs that have actually attacked rather than just threatened to do so. (All I'm doing is walking down public roads, I turn and face them down if they attack rather than running away, but when there 4-5 they are quite bold).

I thought I'd go and ask at the local Camara about this situation, but communication is an issue despite them being very kind and helpful, so some prior knowledge would be appreciated for those in the know please. So any help around the following would be appreciated please...

Do dogs have to be licensed and should they have a collar and tag with owner details?
Is there usually a dog control officer or similar in each area?
Is there usually a reporting approach to take that they appreciate?
(I was thinking of taking pictures of them and noting down the place on a map).

Any help for me and the dogs appreciated please...

7 Replies

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alan

VIP Member

May 07, 2018 2:43 am

(@alan)

Noble Member

Joined: 16 years ago

PortofaKiwi wrote:

> Is there usually a dog control officer or similar in each area?
Yes - the Câmara, or the GNR. The Câmara should have a dog catcher and kennel for these dogs.
> Is there usually a reporting approach to take that they appreciate?
> (I was thinking of taking pictures of them and noting down the place on a
> map).
It will be accepted, but probably not be acted upon
>
> Any help for me and the dogs appreciated please...
Take a stick and a loud voice with you. Portuguese dogs are afraid of humans (guess why)
New laws were passed last year, but are unlikely to be enforced.

All dogs are supposed to be chipped, vaccinated and registered with the Junta. They should be on a lead or with a muzzle. There are fines which can be imposed if the GNR decide to check the papers of dog owners instead of those of car drivers.

You should not feed feral dogs. If you you may be considered their owner and will need to chip and vaccinate them.

It is recognised that there is a big problem with feral dogs, but so far the official response has only been only, laws and not action.

I have a dog which I walk every day. From time to time my regular routes are closed by such dogs. Sometimes , but not always, it is because a bitch is on season, and the male ferals are attracted,

Kindness towards animals in Portugal is a relatively new concept. It is catching on, but like racial intolerance in N Europe, will take a generation or more to be resolved. I freely admit to some racial prejudice, but that is how I was brought up, and it will most likely never go away. The same applies to animal treatment here in Portugal.

Alan

1 Reply

Anonymous

Joined: 52 years ago

Posts: 0

Oct 16, 2020 4:27 pm

Reply to

alan

@alan

We live on a street with a cul-de-sac at each end, the access road comes into the center of the street. We live at one end of the street. At the other end is a gated house, I'll call it house #7. on our street there are 2 stray dogs that are very aggressive. They bark constantly but particularly loud & accompanied with aggressive behavior when any of the homeowners comes in or goes out or takes trash to the dumpster, or walks by. The problem is that the dogs are strays but the people in house #7 are feeding them and provide blankets for them outside their gated home. They say the dogs do not belong to them but their actions keep the dogs hanging out on our street. I have called the GNR but they do not consider these wild, attack dogs to be a problem. They will not come out. So the authorities don't care and the people in house #7 refuse to take responsibility. The only winners here are the dogs. Peggy

Posts: 22

embu

Community Member

Sep 16, 2020 8:43 am

(@embu)

Eminent Member

Joined: 1 year ago

Doesn't sound good 😒

Posts: 6

Temadam

Community Member

Oct 14, 2020 11:30 am

(@temadam)

Active Member

Joined: 1 year ago

I also take a stick when I walk and dogs don't get too close. I've also spoken to the owner of a particularly annoying dog and she seems to have trained her dog to stay within her land. When I'm cycling, all the local dogs nearby get excited and I can hear barking all around me.

In rural areas it is common for dogs to be kept chained up on the property which is apparently illegal. I wouldn't bother going down the route of notifying the authorities, as it will be time-consuming and not necessarily generate results.

By the way I find the connection made between treatment of dogs and racism totally ludicrous.

1 Reply

Beryl

Community Member

(@beryl)

Joined: 9 months ago

Eminent Member

Posts: 25

Jan 30, 2021 11:29 am

Reply to

Temadam

@temadam

dogs are aggressive because of the treatment by the owners then they are thrown out to be exchanged for designer dogs or they get too big. They are then caught by the Council and killed.

as for leaving a dog alone all day is despicable. I tried reporting one such case to the police but of course nothing came of it. They couldn’t care less. In fact they seemed amused that I should be approaching in the first place.Some dogs are never exercised at all. They are just stuck in the same area in the heat and the inclement weather.

in the UK we have shelter homes for animals and Portugal must follow suit. I would be happy to volunteer.

Posts: 124

somanyquestions

VIP Member

Nov 20, 2020 9:14 am

(@somanyquestions)

Estimable Member

Joined: 14 years ago

Couldn`t agree more. I have built a house in a nice urbanisation in the Algarve.

But only after I moved in did I come to realise just how many other owners that work all day, leave dogs in the gardens. These dogs bark all day one or the other, I am surrounded by them, at front and back of house. One house is in fact for sale and the owners dont live there but come every week I guess to presumably clear up the dog mess and supply food !!! This cruelty just amazes me, these dogs just sleep all day, when they are not barking.

Difficult to talk to the owners, and those i have couldnt care less.

Am wondering if I should complain to the GNR, but do hear that they are not interested despite it being against the laws of `peaceful existence` being ignored

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